How to Report Credit Card Fraud?

After the economic recession, all of us have become extremely concerned about our credit history and reports and thus, credit card fraud is bound to hurt us in the biggest way possible as it will be a big black mark on our otherwise clean credit history. However, if you have been stung by credit card fraud, there is no time to sit and cry but it is the time to stand up for yourself and to fight back and in order to avoid any further financial damage which could be permanent, you need to have a good idea on how you can report the matter so that you can resolve the problem sensibly.

Firstly, start off by getting the copy of the credit report from all the three agencies, Equifax, TransUnion and Experian. Every individual is also entitled to a free annual report every year and you can download the same from the website. The next step which you need to take in this matter is to report a police complaint with the local police force and you can even accomplish this task on the phone. You should have a hard copy of your complaint report once you have filed the grievance. This step will ensure that you are moving forward regarding your situation in the right path by calling in the services of the police force and this will also ensure that you have made a legal recording of your credit card fraud problem.

Once you have accomplished the above tasks, you need to make sure to notify your bank about the fraud and should ask them to freeze all your accounts so that no further damage can be done to you. Also, you can opt to change the numbers on your account so that the swindler will not be able to access your account information anymore. You can keep monitoring the charges on your affected credit card by calling the toll-free number which is provided on the backside of the credit card.

It is also mandatory in such a case to make a report of the situation to the Federal Trade Commission. This will also help you to get extra details and information about your credit history. Also, it is very important in such cases that you call up your credit card company immediately and should notify them about the stolen credit card and in order to put a stop on any further misuse, you should put a fraud alert on your card. You can also consult Your Personal Financial Mentor in case you are unable to make a prompt decision in case fraud occurs and he will help you take appropriate actions at the right time.